Railway station redevelopment picks up speed: ICRA

01 Jun 2019 CW Team

According to Shubham Jain, Vice-President and Group Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA, “So far, contracts for five station redevelopment projects have been awarded by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) and NBCC India, namely Habibganj (Bhopal), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Gomti Nagar (Lucknow), Charbagh (Lucknow) and Puducherry. While Habibganj has been awarded under the PPP mode, the other four stations have been awarded on EPC mode. The first two stations awarded—Habibganj and Gandhinagar—are in advanced stages of implementation, while the remaining three (two in Lucknow and one in Puducherry) have been awarded in FY2019. The awarded contract values have varied between Rs 1 billion and Rs 5.4 billion, and have been taken up by construction players focused on the building segment. The total value of the four contracts (excluding the PPP project) is Rs 11.49 billion. However, the competitive intensity in bidding for these projects has been low, with average awards at 5 per cent premium to the base cost.”

Besides, ICRA notes that IRSDC has recently allocated planning and feasibility work for 39 stations to five CPSEs (NPCC, engineering projects, MECON, RITES, bridges and roof companies). This is likely to pave the way for fast-tracking development. This apart, NBCC was earlier entrusted with 10 railway stations, of which it has already awarded EPC work for three and is likely to take up the remaining stations depending on their financial viability.

Indeed, after a slow start, the station development programme has gained traction in the past year and is expected to gather momentum with multiple station redevelopment projects in the pipeline. Nevertheless, challenges still remain that can affect the programme.

The overall size of the railway station redevelopment programme is quite large, involving over 500 stations with an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion; this is likely to be spread over a longer-time horizon (more than five years), according to ICRA. Over the medium term (one to three years), about 50 stations are likely to be taken up for redevelopment, with the estimated cost from Rs 100-200 billion, depending on the extent of commercial development around these stations. According to Shubham Jain, Vice-President and Group Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA, “So far, contracts for five station redevelopment projects have been awarded by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) and NBCC India, namely Habibganj (Bhopal), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Gomti Nagar (Lucknow), Charbagh (Lucknow) and Puducherry. While Habibganj has been awarded under the PPP mode, the other four stations have been awarded on EPC mode. The first two stations awarded—Habibganj and Gandhinagar—are in advanced stages of implementation, while the remaining three (two in Lucknow and one in Puducherry) have been awarded in FY2019. The awarded contract values have varied between Rs 1 billion and Rs 5.4 billion, and have been taken up by construction players focused on the building segment. The total value of the four contracts (excluding the PPP project) is Rs 11.49 billion. However, the competitive intensity in bidding for these projects has been low, with average awards at 5 per cent premium to the base cost.” Besides, ICRA notes that IRSDC has recently allocated planning and feasibility work for 39 stations to five CPSEs (NPCC, engineering projects, MECON, RITES, bridges and roof companies). This is likely to pave the way for fast-tracking development. This apart, NBCC was earlier entrusted with 10 railway stations, of which it has already awarded EPC work for three and is likely to take up the remaining stations depending on their financial viability. Indeed, after a slow start, the station development programme has gained traction in the past year and is expected to gather momentum with multiple station redevelopment projects in the pipeline. Nevertheless, challenges still remain that can affect the programme.

Infrastructure Urban

17 Sep 2025

DCPC Prepares for Special Campaign 5.0 with Focus on E-Waste

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, is gearing up for Special Campaign 5.0, to be held from 2nd to 31st October 2025. The initiative will focus on e-waste disposal as per MoEFCC’s E-Waste Management Rules 2022, space optimisation, and enhancing workplace efficiency across field offices.Special Campaign 4.0, conducted between October 2023 and October 2024, delivered notable results in record management, grievance redressal, scrap disposal, and cleanliness drives.Key outcomes of Special Campaign 4.0Records management: 2,443 physical fil..

Real Estate

17 Sep 2025

BlackRock India Leases 1.4 Lakh Sq Ft in Bengaluru

BlackRock Services India, the domestic arm of global asset manager BlackRock, has leased 1.4 lakh sq ft of office space at IndiQube Symphony in Bengaluru, according to Propstack data. The 10-year deal is valued at around Rs 4.10 billion.The lease, among the largest transactions in India’s co-working sector, highlights the growing preference of global institutions for flexible office providers. The agreement, commencing October 1, 2025, covers ground plus five floors in KNG Tower 1 at Ashoknagar, MG Road — one of Bengaluru’s prime commercial hubs.As per the lease document, BlackRock will ..

Infrastructure Transport

17 Sep 2025

L&T Bags Rs 25–50 Bn Order for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Track Works

Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Transportation Infrastructure business has secured an order valued between Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 billion from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.The contract, Package T1, involves the design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of 156 route km of high-speed ballastless track on a Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis. The stretch runs from Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex to Zaroli village in Gujarat and includes 21 km of underground track and 135 km of elevated viaduct.Se..